Handbook of Nature Study

Witness the wonders of God's creation with naturalist Comstock as your guide! From dandelions, toads, and fireflies, to robins, rocks, and weather, she takes you on a lively trek through the natural world, vividly describing the habits, habitats, and physical structures of common living and nonliving things. Includes study questions and black-and-white photographs. 887 pages, softcover from Cornell University.

Ah, how I love spring and summer! I love to open the windows and breathe in the fresh air that flutters the curtains with puffs of warm breezes. It's the perfect time of the school year to satisfy any urges to stretch out legs that have been bent under desks, to let strained eyes gaze beyond our books, and to be outdoors again. Nature suddenly becomes very busy, giving us lots to observe and study. A drawing of a daffodil makes an impressive entry in a Nature Notebook. If you sit near a clump of daffodils long enough, you will notice who does the pollinating. How about copying a few verses by the poet Wordsworth on daffodils into the Nature Notebook, while you're at it?

Handbook of Nature Study gives many such suggestions. It provides observation questions, poems, and general information to better acquaint the teacher and student with nature. If you wish to study farm animals, birds, insects, garden vegetables and flowers, or roadside weeds and wild flowers, trees, the pond or forest, you'll be supported in your endeavors. When one of my children attempted to follow the suggestion for placing a few drops of sugar water in a container with her capture, Mr. Daddy Longlegs, she almost drowned him. But we did get to see him groom himself, nibbling each leg to its hair-like end. He stayed long enough to be drawn in her Notebook.

This thick, 850-page book written in 1911 is a teacher's guide. The author, founder and head of the Department of Nature Study at Cornell University, feels apologetic that the book is so large. However, it does not contain more than any intelligent country child of 12 should know of his environment. I am so glad it has been updated without losing the author's personal touch. Most teacher's guides are not nearly so interesting. Anna's writing is filled with wonder and firsthand knowledge, allowing us to pick up her enthusiasm for God's creation. This makes the text a hundred times more valuable than its faded black & white photographs. If you plan to make outdoor nature study part of your curriculum (or educational lifestyle) for grades K to 8 and beyond, I recommend Handbook of Nature Study.

—Karen

Average Rating:

5 of 5 Reviews Showing:

Reviewed by C.w. Hill (Oneonta, AL), September 08, 2009

What a blessing this book is! So much information packed into such a wonderful book. We use it daily for our nature notebooks.

Reviewed by Deanna (Canada), April 22, 2009

I'm glad I took the plunge and bought this great homeschool reference tool! We have started a science journal and refer to this book when we draw pictures and write about things we've seen or wonder about.

Reviewed by Amanda Brown (Apo, AP), February 22, 2008

I really like this book, it loaded with lots of information, that I can share with my children while they work on their nature notebooks. This book actually has lessons and some suggested activites provided for you, which comes in handy, but I'll probably end up using it for the information as we come across things in nature. I do recommend this one.

Reviewed by Elisha Fig (Idaho Falls, ID), September 26, 2007

Great information about everyday things. My kids love to learn more about things that we can find in our backyard.

Reviewed by Jody Courtney (Alzada, MT), July 06, 2000

We have had this book on our shelf now for about 6 years and still pull it off all the time when we have a "nature question". Last year when we had a robin nest on our front porch, we found far more information about the friendly robin than any other source...how many eggs will she lay, how long to incubate, how many worms does a baby bird eat, were all questions we found answers for. This book is written beautifully and lovingly. It is fine literature in itself. It contains student lessons which the mother/teacher can give orally or written to her students which help the student observe a speciman very intricately. You will also find beautiful poetry about your favorite things... caterpillars and crickets and more. The only thing this book lacks are colored pictures. There are many pictures included, but they are black and white. Don't let this hinder you from buying this book though. The wealth of information far outweighs the simple pictures. For those who love nature and for those who are wondering about nature, this is a "must have".

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